BEEVILLE — City Council members voted unanimously this past Tuesday night to approve a plan by the Beeville Lions Club to invest more than $50,000 in improving Klipstein Park.

The facility, located between East Corpus Christi and East Bowie streets just east of North Adams Street, is one of the city’s most popular recreational spots.

Beeville Main Street Manager Michelle Wright spoke for the Lions Club, saying the improvements would be a community project for the civic organization.

She said plans are to seek grants for the project and to raise local funds as well.

Club President Kathy Taylor said plans call for tearing out the existing sidewalks in the park and replacing them with 1,137 feet of walking trail. The existing, 408-foot diagonal sidewalk would also be replaced. All the trails would be made of a Rubber Walk Anti-Fatigue surface.

“The club liked it, because it’s so much easier on the body,” Taylor said.

Plans also call for the construction of an additional piece of playground equipment.

Wright said the existing playscape is excellent for toddlers, but club members believe the park needs some equipment for older children.

The club is recommending a 60-foot item called a Zig-Zag-Zang at a price of $17,677.96.

Another large improvement would be a $13,420, 22-foot gazebo. That, Wright said, could be used as a picnic facility or a bandstand.

The Dodecagon Gazebo would arrive here as a kit and could easily be assembled by volunteers.

Wright said she had help in designing the improvements from Director of Public Works Albert Bridge and Parks Superintendent Fred Diaz. She told the council that both men are excited about the prospect of improving the park.

Club members intend to raise money in a variety of ways, including applying for a $25,000 athletic grant awarded by Lowes Home Improvement.

Wright said the club also expects to set out donation jars, raffle off a large barbecue pit and by selling items at various events. The organization will also seek corporate and business donations.

“We’re excited about it,” Wright said.

In other business, the council voted to:

— Accept a report from engineer Stephen Grunewald of Urban Engineering regarding the recent installation of three new pumps at the city’s raw water intake structure at the Nueces River.

Grunewald said the new pumps are capable of delivering 7 million gallons of water a day to the George P. Morrill, I Water Treatment Plant at Swinney Switch.

That is a considerable improvement, he said. With only two pumps in operation, the plant is receiving its peak demand of 5.4 mgd with one pump left idle as a backup. He said if the raw water intake pipe from the river to the plant is cleared of debris, the plant could receive closer to 9 mgd.

— Hire Cesario Vela of Portland as interim assistant superintendent of the city’s water distribution system.

— Approve a fire-fighting agreement between the Beeville Volunteer Fire Department and the commanding officer of Naval Air Station Corpus Christi for mutual aid in Beeville and at the Navy’s Auxiliary Landing Field at Goliad.

— Amend the city’s agreement with the Bee County Chamber of Commerce to say that the city has the right to terminate its hotel-motel occupancy tax agreement with the chamber with a 90-day, “for cause” notification.

— Approve a “memorandum of understanding with the chamber for the hotel-motel occupancy tax agreement.

— Withhold further 2012 payments from the hotel-motel occupancy tax fund, because the city already has reached its $128,000 contribution to the chamber for this calendar year.

— Approve a payment of $65,880 to SPA Skateparks for work completed on the new facility at Flournoy Park.

— Authorize the city staff to make a $45,000 payment to Collier, Johnson & Woods, P.C. for work completed on the audit for the fiscal year ending on Sept. 30, 2011.

— Allow the city staff to rent a Doosan DX 225Lc excavator equipped with an enclosed, air-conditioned cab and a 36-inch HD bucket for $6,813,000. The machine will be used to clean out Poesta Creek for improved drainage capabilities before a hurricane arrives.

— Authorize the final payment of $32,324.40 to RAM II General Contractor, Inc. for work completed on the pump station at Veterans Memorial Park.

— Appoint Mario Muniz to the Board of Adjustment.

Gary Kent is a reporter at the Bee-Picayune and can be reached at 358-2550, ext. 120, or at reporter@mySouTex.com.